(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing silicon carbide articles.
(2) Related Art Statement
For example, JP-A-10-256,108 and JP-A-01-224,286 describe methods for producing silicon carbide bodies on surfaces of substrates of such as graphite by chemical vapor deposition. Such silicon carbide bodies are dense and highly corrosion resistive.
The inventors have urgently needed to increase the electric resistivity of silicon carbide bodies and obtain such silicon carbide bodies having high resistivities. For, the formation of highly resistive silicon carbide bodies have been demanded in the field of the semiconductor-producing apparatuses. However, although producing conditions for carrying out the chemical vapor deposition such as a carrier gas flow rate, a silicon source gas flow rate, a carbon source gas flow rate, a film-forming temperature and a film forming time were changed in various ways, it was difficult to increase the electric resistivity of the silicon carbide bodies beyond a certain level.
It is an object of the present invention to remarkably increase the electric resistivity of the silicon carbide bodies obtained by the chemical vapor deposition.
The present inventors discovered that the electrical resistivity of the silicon carbide body can be remarkably increased by thermally treating a silicon carbide mass formed by chemical vapor deposition under vacuum or in an inert gas atmosphere at a temperature not less than 2000xc2x0 C. The present inventors reached the invention based on this discovery. In the above, the term xe2x80x9cmassxe2x80x9d includes a film, a layer, a body, etc.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be explained in more detail with the understanding that some modifications, variations and changes could be easily made by the skilled person in the art to which the invention pertains.